The present disclosure relates to a smart entry key system and more specifically, to a smart entry key system and method to disable a trunk lockout protection feature of the system to thereby permit a key fob to be locked in a trunk of a vehicle.
Smart entry key systems are used by many vehicle manufactures in today's automotive market. Smart entry key systems are routinely used on four-door sedans, and sometimes on two-door coupes. Most smart key entry systems for these types of vehicles include a trunk lockout protection feature to prevent a key fob from being locked in the trunk. For example, these smart entry key systems can include a dedicated antenna to determine if a key fob is located in the trunk of the vehicle. Thus, if a key fob is locked in the trunk, an alarm will sound and the trunk will automatically unlock.
There are, however, circumstances when it may be desirable to lock the key fob in the trunk. For example, a person may wish to lock an extra key fob in the trunk of the vehicle for security reasons. Further, there may be circumstances where both the driver and passenger have a key fob and one or the other wishes to lock their key fob in the trunk. As mentioned above, however, in many current smart key entry systems, if the key is locked in the trunk the trunk will automatically unlock and open.